Painful silence: Too many adults hiding their faces when they see child abuse

Ryon Jones, Staff Reporter

Averted eyeS, uncomfortable silence replace childhood laughter. Their tear-soaked eyes betray an existence they are powerless to change as they lose their innocence. Cowering in the shadows are the adults, whose voices should be raised in their defence.

It appears that very few adults are willing to speak up for abused children, and a 2013 study conducted by the Office of the Children's Registry (OCR), in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has underscored that worrying trend.

The study revealed that despite 82 per cent of the almost 1,600 persons interviewed knowing of at least one incident of child abuse, the vast majority never reported the matter. In fact, seven out of every 10 persons who witnessed a case of child abuse said nothing.

"It was very necessary for the study to be done, because it confirmed and quantified for us facts which we were aware of because of the reports which have been coming to us from social workers in the field," Janet Cupidon-Quallo, UNICEF child protection specialist, told The Sunday Gleaner.

"We knew of the reluctance [to report abuse]. We just couldn't put a figure to it, in terms of the percentages. So what the study has done is give us the evidence base to do proper planning and so on," added Cupidon-Quallo.

The study, dubbed Baseline Survey: Knowledge, Attitude & Practices Regarding Child Maltreatment in Jamaica, focused on three groups: children between 10 and 17 years old attending school; institutional workers, including health-care professionals, social workers, teachers and guidance counsellors; and general adults.

With the exception of workers in institutions, the majority of respondents in the other groups said they have never reported cases of child abuse. This is despite the fact that most of them claimed to have either experienced abuse or know of a child who has experienced it.

Of the children interviewed in the study, 30 per cent say they have filed a report about a case of child abuse, so, too, said 76 per cent of the institutional workers. However, only 11 per cent of adult Jamaicans said they reported the cases.

While it was evident that some respondents were not clear on what constituted child abuse, others said they did not make a report because it was not their business, while some claimed that they kept quiet because they did not want to get hurt in any reprisal for talking.

NEED TO BREAK SILENCE

Cupidon-Quallo recognises that the 'informa fi dead' culture in Jamaica causes persons to remain silent for fear of losing their lives, but argues that there is a need to break the silence, or Jamaica will go to ruins.

"Very often, people point to the Government, but the Government alone cannot do it. People must understand that communities have to be responsible," argued Cupidon-Quallo.

"Persons will say, 'This is Jamaica. People lose their lives all the time because they open their mouths', but if we continue to give in to that and be afraid, our country is going to fall apart. We have to be bold and stand up and speak on behalf of the children who cannot defend themselves," urged Cupidon-Quallo.

She was supported by the registrar of the Office of the Children's Registry, Greig Smith, who is desperate to see more persons reporting child abuse.

"One issue is a matter of trust. Persons' experiences in making reports previously - not to the registry, but to other organisations before the registry came - might not have been comfortable," Smith expressed.

"Persons also fear that once they make a report, persons will know that it is they who made the report. The OCR is working on that, in terms of confidentiality, to prove to the public that when you make a report to the OCR, it is confidential.

INCREASE IN REPORTS

"The registrar can only disclose the existence of a report or its contents if he or she is subpoenaed by a resident magistrate, at least a deputy commissioner of police, or the DPP (director of public prosecutions)," added Smith, who said there is a steady increase in the number of persons reporting child-abuse cases to the OCR.

More than 9,000 reports were made to the OCR last year, up from 455 in 2007, when the registry was first established.

But the level of reporting is little comfort to Smith, who argues that there is one other factor preventing persons from coming forward.

"People also think that once you make a report to the OCR, the Government is going to remove the children from the home, [and] people fear children's homes. So we have to now educate them that it is the last resort," he said.

Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon-Harrison also urged more Jamaicans to report cases of child abuse.

"This see-and-blind, hear-and-deaf culture that we have in Jamaica needs to stop. We need to start taking a stand and hold people accountable for their actions," declared Gordon-Harrison on the eve of the start of May, which is observed as Child Month.

More reasons why child abuse is not reported

Was told to see and blind and hear and deaf

Lack of proof

It was unimportant

Did not want to embarrass the child

Did not remember to do so

Reporting would have caused a problem

The abuse stopped

Family of child is aware of the problem; it is their responsibility to tell

Gleaner-UNICEF Collaboration for Child Month

Throughout Child Month, The Gleaner and UNICEF are taking you inside the lives and challenges of children who are struggling with abuse and exploitation. The facts and their stories are hard to forget. They demand our attention and action as a nation. They call on us to learn more and do more - to better understand the realities and to unite around the solutions. All children, everywhere across our island, deserve that.

Talk about the Child Month series online

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